The Black Fish

This is a story from Jataka Tales. The story relates to birth of Buddha as a fish. 

One time ago, Buddha was born as a black fish in a pond. In the pond there lived many types of fishes. They lived in harmony and happiness.

The black fish was large and its surface gleamed like ebony. It was vitreous and never harmed any other fish.

One year, there were no rains and it went dry. There was severe draught. The crops did not flourish. The lakes, rivers dried up. Many animals starved and died.

The lake had began to dry up too. Each day, its water went down closer to the earth. The fishes and the turtles attempted to dig deeper and deeper in want of water. Many of them died as the water dried up. The predators were pleased at the ease of availability of food. The crows and vultures pecked their beaks mercilessly to pull the hidden fishes from the shallow mud and feasted on them. 

When the black fish saw its fellow fish were suffering he became very sad. He was filled with compassion and pity and decided to help them.
 
The black fish had always lived a truthful life. He had never killed any other fish for any reason. He was aware of his truthful living and decided to use the power of this wholesome truth to plead the Rain Gods for blessing the Earth with rains.

So the black fish rose vigorously from the mud. As its red eyes gleamed against its black ebony shiny body, he gave a loud cry, calling upon the rain God - Pajunna, "Pajjuna, we beings on Earth are suffering in want of water. The lake has dried up and we fishes have lost our homes. My relatives have been either dying in want of water or they are being mercilessly predated upon. It is painful to see them suffer".

The black fish continued, "O Pajjuna, though I was born as a fish, for whom it is instinctive to feed on other fishes. But I  have always lived a wholesome truthful life and never taken life of other fish for satisfying my hunger. My truthfulness and my innocence gives me the right to ask you to give us rain. O Pajjuna, bring us rains, and relive me and my relatives from the immense sorrow and sufferings we are undergoing".

Pajjuna heard the black fish who was Buddha in guise. Soon the sky opened up with a heavy downpour. The lake was filled and the fishes, turtles got their home back. They were relieved from the fears of merciless killing by predators. The rains brought relief to all humans and animals.